Active Tectonic, Geological Hazard and Seismic Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

Seismic sustainability may be considered the main focus for earthquake researchers since it is concerned with protecting both society and the environment from earthquake-related hazards.

Earthquakes, being the most destructive natural hazards on Earth, make people highly vulnerable due to their unpredictable nature, as observed in many seismic regions of the world.

Therefore, it is particularly important to achieve both an accurate recognition and a characterization of risk zones for the safety of existing urban areas and of future territory intended for such use. Furthermore, many different hazards are associated with earthquakes, for example, ground shaking, faulting or breaches of the surface material, landslides, liquefaction, subsidence or surface depressions, tsunamis, etc. The lack of adequate forecasting yields for each of those has potentially destructive economic, social, and environmental consequences. The assessment of earthquake hazards involves studies concerning earthquake magnitude, frequency, probability of occurrence, and fault mapping. Deep knowledge of active/capable fault locations and their spatial extension can contribute to a reliable estimation of local risk that, consequently, will play a key role in risk mitigation. Different investigation methods, including geodetic, geologic, remote-sensing, geophysical, and geochemical data, are essential for detecting active faults and estimating seismic hazards. Further, stochastic modeling approaches can significantly contribute to a probabilistic assessment of risk.

The aim of this Special Issue is to compare studies on the origin, development, and individuation of surface/buried faults from known and inferred seismic areas using different scientific methods to broaden the horizons of seismic research in a risk assessment framework. Contributions on novel methods and instrumentation for seismic monitoring are also encouraged.

We look forward to receiving your contributions, as your expertise will further enhance our understanding and preparedness for seismic events.

Dr. Nunzia Voltattorni
Guest Editor

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• fault mapping, seismic hazard
• earthquake risk
• fault monitoring techniques
• risk probabilistic assessment